Looking for love:Top 4 Tarot Cards for a new Love relationship

Love and romance questions are usually popular in Tarot readings, so which Tarot cards and combinations do we look for to indicate a new love relationship making an entrance? In a positional spread there are quite a few positive cards that can show a favourable outcome to our question, but with non-positional, such as The Life Spread or a free-flow spread (often a simple line of three or five cards read together), these are the top cards I'm looking for:

1) Ace of Cups

For those who are single the Ace of Cups is the main card I watch for to indicate the beginning of a new love relationship. If the Ace of Wands appears alongside you could also be looking at a passionate affair that takes off with speed. For those already happily attached it translates into a new beginning that brings happiness for all concerned Some readers see this Ace as representing the renewal of a relationship, but for me personally, it normally shows a new love, although as always, surrounding cards clarify. If you’re hoping for the revival of an old love then you may be more interested in The Lover Returns article.

2) Two of Cups

Since the Two is a continuation card that represents growth in a relationship or moving things to the next level, this card usually surfaces when a friendship develops into a love relationship. So the person is someone already known where a good and harmonious bond is established. This is most relevant when you’re reading for someone single with the absence of the Ace of Cups. As always, be careful of positioning though, as we’re looking for an outcome, not the inner longing of the questioner. The best combination for this type of situation would be when the Ace follows the Two of Cups; then we know we’re on solid ground! (Other favourable cards immediately following, such as: Nine of Cups, Ten of Cups, The Lovers, The Sun, Knight of Pentacles, also prove fruitful).

3) Ten of Cups

The Ten is usually the card that shows committed love with permanence but this card has often appeared for singles with no apparent build-up at all (no Ace etc., leading up to it). On those occasions it has always been quite literal, a new love relationship arrives and the relationship takes off at a rate of knots. This is usually the “sweep you off your feet” variety where love walks in unannounced and immediately clicks, some real-life examples can be found in the case studies in Easy Tarot Reading (the blue book) for The Sceptic in Chapter 5, and The Yoga Teacher in Chapter 10.

4) The Lovers In the major arcana The Lovers was traditionally the Trump or Triumph of love and certainly represents a love interest and the potential for a love relationship. However, there are various combinations and we don’t want to see it hampered by less favourable cards or leading nowhere. It can also appear when there is the potential for a love relationship although it may not be one you’re interested in pursuing, i.e., someone is interested in you but the feeling isn’t mutual, or vice versa. Similar to the Two of Cups, pay particular attention to surrounding cards to see where it originates from and what immediately follows. With other indications in The Life Spread you may also find The Lovers in the Anchor Spread too. (See example below.)

Real Life Example

The cards on the left were part of a reading performed by one of my students for a friend during their course. These appeared in the "Love" section of The Life Spread with The Lovers present in the "Love" area of The Anchor. As you can see, the narrative of these cards reads smoothly and easily, one to the next, and also provided a description of the man making the offer or proposal too.

The King of Swords brings the invitation for a love relationship and things will happen quickly. We can see we're looking at a fast moving time frame (Eight of Wands) once he appears. The client was single at the time but within three weeks of the reading she was asked out by a man with a legal background, and things took off. Needless to say, both student and friend were very happy with the result!

Cups are the suit of love and happiness, so whilst the influence of other favourable cards can be used in a positional spread it would still be rather telling if that suit were completely absent in the reading, so just watch for that one.

For Josephine Ellershaw the Tarot has been a constant life companion on a personal journey that spans almost four decades. Alongside her business background she has many years experience providing readings, healing, and metaphysical guidance to an international clientele. She's the author of the international bestseller Easy Tarot: Learn to Read the Cards Once and For All, and Easy Tarot Reading: The Process Revealed in Ten True Readings, published by Llewellyn. She lives in North Yorkshire, England, with her family and large menagerie of pets... READ MORE